Last ditch attempt to save food festival
A last ditch appeal has been launched by organisers of a food and beer festival which faces the axe.
Sponsors are needed to fund the event, which is held every year at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's Wolseley Centre between Rugeley and Stafford.
Around £2,500 is needed and the deadline to reach that target is just under two weeks away.
The festival is the trust's biggest fundraiser of the year and bosses are saying it is vital the event is saved.
Visitor centre manager Alison Rhodes said: "It will be a real shame for the trust to lose its biggest fundraiser of the year.
The trust wants businesses to come forward and pledge the cash which is needed to cover the rising organisational costs as a result of visitor numbers shooting up each year.
If the plug is pulled it will be the first time the festival has not been held in its 10 year history.
More than 2,000 visitors descended on the food and beer festival last year at the trust's headquarters. It was hailed as the most successful to date with £20,000 raised on the day.
Proceeds go towards the trust's work, looking after and helping wildlife on its 26 nature reserves across the county, as well as organising hundreds of guided walks and educational days.
There will be 30 local ales, wines and ciders on offer, as well as locally-produced breads, pastries, savoury eggs, cheeses and pickles. Live music is also being performed.
The Wolseley Centre is situated along the A51.
The deadline to find a sponsor is February 14. For more details call 01889 880100.
